Internet Help

Since all routers are different, the steps required to setup/secure your network will vary. Below you will find some links to common manufacturers support pages where you can learn to configure and secure your router. If the manufacturer of your router is not listed please refer to the users guide of your router for setup instructions or for info on how to contact their support line.

Routers are fickle things. The most common cause of this problem relates to the software that runs the router which is known as firmware. Not only for reliability reasons, but also for security reasons it is considered good practice to keep your routers firmware up to date. Doing this will solve most strange issues with routers.

To update the routers firmware you can either go to the manufacturers website and follow their directions or call the manufacturers support line.

Yes, our connection will work with any gaming console. We do not block any widey used ports so online services such as Steam, Xbox Live, or PlayStation Online will work perfectly. The minimum speed you should have to maintain low latency (pings) is 1M x 256k (our Bronze Package).

Yes, AWIs internet is more than fast enough for even the most demanding online games such as: World of Warcraft, Battlefield, Quake/Unreal. The minimum speed you should have to maintain low latency (pings) is 1M x 256k (our Bronze Package).

Setting up the Motorola SURFboard Wireless Cable Modem Gateway is fairly strait forward. This Guide will walk you through setting up the wireless name (SSID) and wireless security (WPA). For this guide, we chose WPA for the security because the keys are easier to remember. This guide assumes that the gateway has been plugged in properly to the service provider and to the computer. To perform this setup, you have to use a computer pluged directly into the gateway. Using wireless to setup the gateway will lock you out!

Step 1

For the first step we are going to log in to the gateway. Open up a web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox) on the computer that is directly connected to the gateway. The gateway will normally assign your computer an IP address in the 192.168.100.??? range, which means we need to navigate to the web page http://192.168.100.1. type this into the address bar and press enter. The page that loads will look like this:

Step 2

The default User ID is admin and the password is motorola. Once you have typed those in correctly, click "Log In." After that, the page will change. The page may differ but it will most likely look like this:

Step 3

From this point we need to navigate to the wireless section. On the left of the screen there is a side bar. We need to select the third on down from the top, labeled "Wireless." Once it is clicked, it will turn blue and the page will change.

Step 4

The first thing we are going to do is change the name that is displayed for the wireless network, also known as the ssid or ESSID. To change this, we need to navigate to the "Network" tab on the top of the screen. To rename your wireless network, change the field to the right of ESSID. The default name is Motorola and in my example picture it will stay the same. One the name has been changed, chick "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page.

Step 5

Now we will move onto the security settings. On the top of the page, next to the Network tab, is the "security" tab: Click it. Now, on the page there is a "Secuirty Mode" section. Under it, there are three options. Click the radial button next to WPA and then "Apply." Now your page should look like this:

Step 6

At the bottom of the page a field to the left of "PSK Passphrase" has turned white. In that white field, type in a passphrase (or password) that you would like for your wireless network. This passphrase will be required for anyone who wishes to use your internet connection wirelessly. The passphrase must be eight characters or longer to be acceptable. I would also recommend not using the name of your wireless for the passphrase, because that will create a security vulnerability. After the passphrase is entered, click "Save Changes."

Step 7

Congratulations you're done! You can now either click "log out," located on the side bar, or just close the browser. Now, when ever a computer attempts to connect wirelessly, this passphrase will be required.

Slow Internet connections happen for various reasons, even when you pay for up to a 50 Megabit connection. Because the Internet (and World Wide Web) is built on hundreds of different technologies trying to talk to each other, there are many places where data can be slowed down before it reaches your computer screen. Your ISP might be at fault, certainly, but there are many other factors to look at before assigning blame. Some of these slow points are within your control, and can be quickly fixed with a little do-it-yourself effort.

You might have spyware/malware infecting your machine, and secretly using your Internet bandwidth.

Your computer may be very old. Older computers have a more difficult time rendering high definition video, large image files, and flash applications.

Perhaps you have dishonest people leeching your wireless connection from across the alley. Securing your wireless network is the best way to prevent this from happening.

You might have poor hardware connecting your machine to the wall. Routers and Switches are prone to failure, just like any other device.

A download may be occurring in the background, and you are unaware of it as it leeches your bandwidth. Especially if you are file sharing. Also, maxing out your upload capacity will give similar results. Data backup applications are big culprits in this area.

Your browser memory cache is so full, your browser has to slow down to allow for its limited hard drive space.

Radio or microwave devices in your home might be degrading your Internet wireless signal. Also, distance and building materials can interfere with this as well. Wireless routes function best in an area where there is no other networks around.

The site you are attempting to visit might have a large number of people visiting it. Sites such as Netflix and Youtube might have millions of simultaneous users at once, which causes strain on their available bandwidth. They might not be able to provide you with a 7 megabit data stream.

Network demand might be high. Peak times, such as the evenings after everyone has gotten off work and wants to watch a Netflix movie can result in reduced network performance. Though we do strive to make sure you get the speeds you are paying for, as with any ISP, you are paying for shared access of a dedicated connection. A true dedicated connection like a T1 line to your home costs about $500 for a 1.5 megabit connection! Remember, internet speeds are 'up to' what you are paying for, and are dependent upon available bandwidth.

These are just some of many possibilities. If you think that your Internet connection is slow, we recommend you follow a few of simple steps:

Connect your PC directly up to the modem via an Ethernet Cable. This removes the potential of wiring failures, router malfunctions, and wireless connection discrepancies.

Digital Phone Help

If the problem is occurring on one jack try using a known-working corded phone on that jack. If that fixes it than you may have a problem with your original phone.

If the problem is occurring on all jacks make sure you remove any equipment such as (fax machines, cordless telephones, answering machines, etc.). Plug in a known-static-free telephone into one jack and check it. If the static is gone than it was probably a peice of your equipment.

Step 3

Can you get to the internet? Is your modem online? If, no than you may need to contact our technical support. If yes then...

First try unplugging the phone box from the power then plug it back in, plug in a known-working phone directly into the phone box and try it.

Is the problem occurring on only one jack? If so take a phone from a known-working jack and plug it into the jack you are having trouble with. If it works then you have a problem with the original phone.

Is the problem occurring on all jacks? If you have any equipment plugged into any jack such as (fax machines, cordless telephones, answering machines, etc) unplug all equipment from the jacks, wait 30 seconds then plug in a standard corded telephone. If the dial tone is restored than there may be a problem with one of the devices you unplugged.

Step 1

Turn up the volume control if your telephone has this option.

Step 2

If the problem is only occurring on the jack, the problem may be with that specific jack or telephone.

Step 3

If you have a spare telephone that you know works, try plugging it onto the affected jack. If it works, then the problem is with the other telephone. If it does not work, then the problem is with that jack.

Step 4

Is the problem occurring on all calls? If it is only happening on certain calls (i.e. when calling a cell phone) the problem may be with the other persons telephone.

Step 5

Try unplugging the power fromt the phone box then plugging a known-working phone direclty into it.

If you use an e-mail client, such as Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail, you need to make some minor changes to your e-mail client. Keep in mind, once you return home, you need to undo these changes.

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Fill in the following fields, using your information following the example information entered. Incoming Server is 'mail.awinetworks.com', and outgoing server is 'mail.awinetworks.com'. Then click 'Next'.

Step 1

Step 2

Click on the "Mail" tab, then click "Add" and "Mail" in the flyout pane...

Step 3

Enter your name and click next...

Step 4

Enter your email address and click next...

Step 5

Type "mail.awinetworks.com" into both the incoming and outgoing fields and click next...

Step 6

Enter your password and if you would like Outlook to remember your password check that box. Leave the bottom box un-checked and click next...

Step 7

Click finish, then close the "Internet Accounts" window.

Your email is setup and ready to use! If you are getting errors you can check your settings by going back to step 2, highlighting your account and clicking on properties. In the properties window most typos will be found on the servers tab.

Step 1

Open Mail. It should be in the Applications folder located on the Hard Drive. If this is the first time you have used Mail the New Account Wizard should start up. If it didn't start click File then click Add Account.

Step 2

In the window below choose POP for the Account Type, then choose any name for the Account Description, then under Full Name type the name of the person(s) using the email account, and finally under Email Address type the email address that you set up with us. Then click continue...

Step 3

Then under Incoming Mail Server type mail.awinetworks.com. For User Name type the first part of your email address (everything before the @awinets.com), and under Password type the password that you chose, then click continue...

Step 4

Just click contunue to go past this screen...

Step 5

In the screen below type mail.awinetworks.com into the Outgoing Mail Server field, then click continue...

Step 6

Again, just click continue to go past the screen below...

Step 7

Finally, review everything you have entered to make sure it is all correct then click continue and you are done!

To setup an email account manually, or to edit current email settings, do the following:

Step 1

Click on the "Mail" menu at the top of the screen, and then click "Preferences".

Step 2

Click on "Accounts" at the top of the screen. The fields highlited in green are the ones where a typo will stop your email from sending & recieving. Check those to make sure everything is typed in correctly.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Click the Advanced tab, and under Delivery, select the Leave a copy of messages on the server check box.

Step 4

Select one of the following options:

Remove from server after x days E-mail messages are downloaded to your computer but remain on the e-mail server for the number of days that you specify. This is the most common setting for people who want to read their messages at work but also download them for permanent storage on their home computer. We recommend that you choose the smallest number of days that suits your needs. The longer you leave messages on your e-mail server, the greater the risk of exceeding your mailbox size quota.

Remove from server when deleted from "Deleted Items" E-mail messages are downloaded to your computer but also remain on the e-mail server indefinitely until you delete the e-mail message in Outlook and empty the "Deleted Items" folder. Just deleting the message doesn't remove the message from the e-mail server.
If you do not select either check box, messages are left on the server indefinitely. You can eventually exceed your mailbox quota, unless you connect to the e-mail server from another computer that has Outlook configured to remove messages from the e-mail server.